Winona State University will offer “Early Jazz, Ragtime & the Blues 1900-1928” as a part of Senior University WSU this coming January and February.

This course will explore the birth of Black America’s unique contribution to the different musical genres and styles of the early 1900s. Discover the sounds of American Optimism in the form, players and stylistic evolution. Listen to iconic artists from Bolden to Bix, from Dixieland to Chicago, and the world-class keyboard geniuses of Jelly Roll Morton and Scott Joplin.

Course instructor is Lyelle Palmer. Palmer began his career at Winona State in 1977 and taught in the College of Education until his retirement in 2003. He is a performer and an expert in jazz, ragtime and the blues. Palmer earned an ABD for PhD in Musicology at the University of North Texas. He is a jazz history buff and has an extensive collection of early jazz recordings.

The course will take place from 1-2:30 p.m. Mondays Jan. 14, 21, Feb. 11,18.

Senior University WSU consists of four to six-week, non-credit courses with no tests, grades, papers, or homework. Courses are taught by WSU faculty, retirees and community members. The courses promote continued life-long learning and personal, intellectual and cultural enrichment.